Park-204 - CassieH- Pride and Prejudice

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."

Pride and PrejudiceBy: Jane Austen

About the Author

Jane Austin was born on December 16 1775 in Steventon, Hampshire. She was the youngest of seven children and only had one sister named Cassandra. Neither her nor her sister ever married. In 1811 at the age of 35 she began publishing her more known books such as Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Emma. She died at the age of 41, on July 18, 1817.

Summary

The book starts out with the a neighborhood's excitement of a rich man named Charles Bingley moving into the Neitherfeild estate. Mrs. Bennet, who has five unmarried daughters, is most excited because she hopes to marry one of them off to him. They are very impressed with him when they meet him at a local ball a few days later. They are not, however, impressed with his friend Fitzwilliam Darcy who arrives with him. Over the course of the evening Mr. Bingley and Jane (the eldest of the Bennet sisters) grow an attachment to one another, which is unfortunately shot down by both Darcy and Bingley's sister Caroline. Darcy begins to grow attracted to Elizabeth (main character and second oldest Bennet sister) despite his prejudice against her families social standings.

Elizabeth despises Mr. Darcy and is instead attracted to George Wickham who has just arrived in town as a part of the militia. Wickham tells Elizabeth that he and Mr. Darcy grew up together and that Darcy's father favored him over Mr. Darcy. He states that the father left him money in his will but that Darcy refused to give it to him out of shirr selfishness. This story causes Elizabeth to hate him even more. During Jane's and Elizabeth's blossoming relationships, Mr. Bennet's cousin, William Collins, a clergyman who will inherit The Bennet estate, comes to visit. He sets his sights on Elizabeth as a wife, but she refuses to take his hand. He then turns his attention to Elizabeth's best friend, Charlotte Lucas, who does accept his offer of marriage, and they are soon married. Jane becomes depressed do to the sudden departure of Bingley, and she receives a letter from Caroline that states that they will not be returning to the Neitherfeild estate. She regains herself quickly, but Elizabeth is angry and suspects that it is all the work of Mr. Darcy.

She goes to visit Charlotte in Hunsford where she meets Lady Catherine De Bourgh. Also staying there is the Ladies nephew who happens to be Mr. Darcy. While there Mr. Darcy proposes to Elizabeth but she refuses due to his pride, her belief that he is the reason for her sister's unhappiness, and for the story that Wickham had told her. The next day Mr. Darcy gave her a letter explaining everything to her and she realizes that he is free of wrongdoing and that it was in fact her pride that made her despise him so much. After going home she soon decides to go on a trip with her aunt and uncle to Derbyshire County where they end up visiting Darcy's estate in Pemberley. They unexpectedly meet him and he introduces Elizabeth to his sister. During the next few days while they are there Elizabeth begins to fall for Mr. Darcy.

Their stay is cut short, however, when Elizabeth receives distressing news from home that Lydia (the youngest and most foolish of all the sisters) has eloped with Wickham. Elizabeth and the entire family fear that they will be permanently disgraced due to Lydias selfish acts. Lydia and Wickham are thankfully found and married and Elizabeth discovers that it was in fact Mr. Darcy that played a key role in the finding and marrying of the two. Bingley soon returns to Neitherfeild and finally asks Jane to marry him. She says yes of course. Elizabeth gets an unsuspected visit from Lady Catherine who has heard that Darcy and Elizabeth are engaged and tries to make her promise never to accept a proposal from him. Elizabeth refuses which makes Catherine angry and she goes to Darcy to complain of Elizabeth's "impertinence". Her actions have the opposite effect on Darcy then she had hoped and instead gave him hope that she had had a change of heart. He proposed again and Elizabeth happily accepts this time.

Why Is This Book Outstanding And Would I Recommend It?

Pride and Prejudice is one of the greatest Romance novels I have ever read. It is based on the point of view of one person, so the author was able to convey what the character is feeling and thinking. Jane Austin did a magnificent job in the detail and the conflicts in the book. When I was reading it I felt as though the book was a friend that was telling me about her life and the conflicts she had to go through when trying to find her true love. I felt as though i could feel every thing that the character was feeling. Like I could feel Elizabeth's confusion, anxiety, and happiness. It is a great romance because of the struggle the characters have to go through, the conflicts, and because it as the ability to convey passion without having to be raunchy. I would definitely recommend this book to other people. It may seem like a long book but in the end it is completely worth the time it takes to read it.